Music History 1: Unit 1 Flashcards
A metrical unit containing a fixed number of beats; separated on the staff by bar lines.
measure
a fixed pattern of strong and weak beats.
meter
time signatures in which each beat contains two subdivisions.
simple time
time signatures in which each beat contains three (rather than two) subdivisons.
compound time
a deliberate shifting of the musical accent to a weak beat.
syncopation
an upbeat, or the last beat of a measure anticipating the downbeat.
anacrusis
the highness or lowness of a particular sound.
pitch
the distance between the highest and lowest notes of a melody.
range
the distance between any two pitches.
interval
melodies that contain many leaps and changes of direction.
disjunct
melodies that move mostly in a stepwise direction.
conjunct
a series of consecutive pitches that forma musical unit, much like a sentence.
phrase
a short melodic or rhythmic fragment used to build a melody.
motive
a combination of three or more pitches that create a unit of harmony.
chord
a three-note chord that consists of a root, third and fifth
triad
melodies/harmonies built from the notes of a major or minor scale.
diatonic
melodies/harmonies that include all the notes available within the octave; from the Greek word for “color”.
chromatic
an agreeable combination of tones that provides a sense of relaxation and stability.
consonance
a combination of tones that sounds discordant, thus crating restlessness and a sense of instability.
dissonance
the rate (frequency) of chord changes per measure.
harmonic rhythm
a specific combination of two chords that provide moments of rest at the ends of phrases, much like punctuation.
cadence
combination of two or more melodic lines.
*counterpoint